Podcast Archives

Random Encounter 233 – The Best RPGs (and More) of 2021!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on January 24, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, it’s time to look at some of the best games of the previous year! RPGFan has released our annual Games of the Year feature, and this week, we’re taking a deep dive. Join Jono, Alana, Brian, and Wes as they dig into the various categories, pick out their personal… Read More »

Retro Encounter 320 – This Episode Is Not About RPGs, Again

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 20, 2022

RPGFans? Not today, we’re not! Here at RPGFan, we write and talk about RPGs almost nonstop, but that’s not all of who we are as fans of video games. Today, five RPGFan staff discuss ten of their favorite video games or series that aren’t quite RPG enough for RPGFan, in a self-indulgent sequel… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 76 – Smashing Tunes

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 17, 2022

Whether or not you play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you may know that Nintendo’s latest entry in its fighter series features more than a few characters from RPGs: 31 of its 82 characters are from our beloved genre, and that number grows if you want to bend the rules and include Mario characters beca… Read More »

Retro Encounter 319 – Top Ten PS2 RPGs

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 13, 2022

What will be the Final Fantastic game among our Personal picks? It’s a new year, and Retro Encounter rings in 2022 with a bang, counting down a ranked list of fourteen PlayStation 2 RPGs, compiled from the panelists’ own preferences, to eventually crown an official Retro Encounter Best PlaySta… Read More »

Random Encounter 232 – The NeverEnding Story… of our Backlogs

Posted by Jonathan Logan on January 10, 2022

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re doing a little bit of cleanup! Some super interesting games were released at the very end of 2021, and we have some folks who played them! Audra is here to talk about her experience playing both Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space and its Chrono Cro… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 75 – Cocktail Concerto

Posted by Mike Salbato on January 3, 2022

Once upon a time, an RPGFan editor remarked that Chrono Cross (where’s that remaster?) smelled like a piña colada. This little side comment sparked an idea with our own Michael Sollosi about what other RPG and drink pairings might sound and taste like. Over a year later, four panelists have chosen s… Read More »

Retro Encounter 318 – 2021 Year in Review

Posted by Michael Sollosi on January 2, 2022

Happy Last Year! (Good riddance) A year has come and gone, and Retro Encounter has always been more about the past than the future. Four RPGFan staff discuss twelve of their favorite games of 2021, from remade trilogies to time loops to demon summoning to canine companionship. Listen to the end for… Read More »

Random Encounter 231 – Looking Forward to 2022

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 27, 2021

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re taking a look in our crystal ball to preview the games of 2022! Every December, RPGFan publishes an extensive feature focusing on the games we’re most excited for in the upcoming year. And this week, we get to talk about it! Does the panel think that F… Read More »

Retro Encounter 317 – Final Fantasy V Part II

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 23, 2021

Three worlds, four (maybe five) characters, and a whole whack of potential jobs: That’s Final Fantasy V in a nutshell! In today’s Retro, our four panelists will finish their exploration of the story of FFV, talk about some of our favorite jobs, and take a look at other versions of the game tha… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 74 – It’s Elemental, My Dear Watts

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 20, 2021

Long ago, the two podcasts of RPGFan lived in harmony. But then, everything changed when the Rhythm Nation attacked. Actually, that’s not true. Rhythm Encounter was actually around before Retro Encounter, but Janet Jackson didn’t record a song called Retro Nation, did she? (Did she?) Today we are ge… Read More »

Retro Encounter 316 – Final Fantasy V Part I

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 16, 2021

Four RPGFan panelists discuss the “odd one out” of the Final Fantasy 16-bit era, 1992’s Final Fantasy V. For those who loved RPGs during the SNES era, there was a game that forever seemed out of reach: Final Fantasy V. This unlocalized title was so legendary that it inspired the very first fan trans… Read More »

Random Encounter 230 – It’s Awards Night!

Posted by Jonathan Logan on December 13, 2021

On this episode of Random Encounter, it’s awards night! The Game Awards 2021 were last Thursday, and so was our recording date! The resulting episode? Pure chaos! Jono, Brian, and Niki try to talk about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Ed… Read More »

Retro Encounter 315 – Impostor Factory

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 11, 2021

Husbands should be like Kleenex: Soft, strong, and disposable. Romance, drama, comedy, regret, and… rice? Impostor Factory is a visual novel of sorts that looks like a 16-bit RPG, the third game in Kan Gao’s Sigmund Corp trilogy after To the Moon and Finding Paradise, and oh boy does it leave an i… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 73 – NES Side Story

Posted by Mike Salbato on December 6, 2021

Marty, we’ve got to go back! Back to the… past. That didn’t work. But on this episode of Rhythm Encounter, we’re doing a console-specific episode, for the first time since Episode 1 (which debuted way back in February 2013). The Nintendo Entertainment System wasn’t the first game platform, but its… Read More »

Retro Encounter 314 – RPG Villains: Emet-Selch

Posted by Michael Sollosi on December 2, 2021

Remember us. Remember that we once podcasted. Emet-Selch, the principal antagonist of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, is a unique blend of a foppish eccentric, a world-erasing psychopath, and a grieving survivor. He’s a complicated, entertaining foil to the Warrior of Light, and Retro Encounter i… Read More »

Random Encounter 229 – Giving Thanks

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 29, 2021

On this episode of Random Encounter, Greg is back! Greg and Jono reunite for Thanksgiving (despite both of them being Canadian) to talk about the fun of Final Fantasy-themed battle royales (Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier), the joys of retro-style adventure game throwbacks (Obduction), the exci… Read More »

Retro Encounter 313 – Ys Origin Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 25, 2021

Hiya, Hugo! Hiya, stupid! Whatcha wanna go get demon energy for? Our two panelists navigate through Ys Origin’s three protagonists in our second episode on the 2006 prequel! Up for discussion are the Ys Origin endgame narratives, midgame boss battles, and family dynamics of the cursed Fact bloodline… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 72 – Game Music Concerts

Posted by Hilary Andreff on November 22, 2021

Once upon a time, the idea of going to a theater or other venue to see video game music performed live was unheard of. But as gaming grew in popularity, live performances have become more frequent, and fans have had the opportunities to hear the likes of The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy perform… Read More »

Retro Encounter 312 – Ys Origin Part I

Posted by Michael Sollosi on November 19, 2021

It rhymes with “Geese.” Not with “Wise.” Retro Encounter travels between 1989 and 2006 in playing Ys Origin, the prequel to the original Ancient Ys Vanished, Nihon Falcom’s influential action RPG. In today’s Retro Encounter the panelists discuss co-protagonists Yunica Tovah and Hugo Fact, the layout… Read More »

Random Encounter 228 – Positional Whipping

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 15, 2021

On this episode of Random Encounter, our panel descends deep into Dracula’s Castle to deliver their thoughts about the recent Castlevania Advance Collection. Between 2001 and 2003, Konami released three landmark Castlevania titles for the Game Boy Advance (Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance,… Read More »

Retro Encounter 311 – Star Trek: Judgment Rites

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 11, 2021

It wouldn’t be Star Trek without an inevitable sequel! The crew of the USS Retro Encounter is back after last week’s Star Trek-focused episode. This time, we’re taking a look at the follow-up to 25th Anniversary, the 1993 point-and-click adventure game, Star Trek: Judgment Rites. With the cast of th… Read More »

Rhythm Encounter 71 – Press Start: Title Screen Music

Posted by Alana Hagues on November 8, 2021

Title screens are among the first things we see when we turn on our favourite RPGs, and they’re incredibly unique to the medium of video games. So it seems criminal that we haven’t had an episode devoted exclusively to them! From setting the tone to weaving a story, a title screen (and its accompany… Read More »

Retro Encounter 310 – Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 5, 2021

It’s time to explore strange old worlds with the crew of the USS Retro Encounter! In this episode, our landing party of Trekkies beam into the 1992 point-and-click adventure game, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. Featuring the vocal talents of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the Enterpri… Read More »

Random Encounter 227 – A Little Slice of the 80s and 90s

Posted by Jonathan Logan on November 1, 2021

On this episode of Random Encounter, we’re dipping our toes into some games highly inspired by the 80s and 90s! Abe is here to talk about the surprisingly excellent Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, waxing rhapsodic about its superb story and incredible 80s soundtrack! Then, Niki dives into the earl… Read More »

Retro Encounter 309 – Cosmic Star Heroine Part II

Posted by Michael Sollosi on October 30, 2021

Retro Encounter finished their star-studded journey across the cosmos this month, but does Cosmic Star Heroine live up to to Zeboyd’s influences and fan expectations? The panel loves the visual design and battle designs of the game, but has issues in other places. But which boss was designed by the… Read More »

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